Governor Deal Appoints 12 to State Boards

Heidi M. Altman, Ph.D., Council on American Indian Concerns (reappointment)Altman is an associate professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Georgia Southern University. She is a member of the Society for Applied Anthropology, the American Anthropological Association and the Society for American Archaeology. Altman earned a bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degrees in English and Anthropology from Florida State University, as well as a doctoral degree in Anthropology from the University of California at Davis. She and her husband, Robert, have one son. They reside in Pulaski.

James L. “Jimmy” Allen, Georgia Forestry Commission (reappointment)Allen is a former professional golfer and a founder of Allen Pritchett & Bassett LLP. He is also a co-owner of Pike Creek Turf, a turfgrass production and installation company. Allen sits on the boards of directors for the Tift Regional Medical Center and the Community Foundation of South Georgia. He is a member of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Georgia Forestry Association. Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Valdosta State University. He and his wife, Quay, have two children and five grandchildren. They live in Chula.

Sandie Sparks, Georgia Forestry CommissionSparks is the sales manager for Sparks Lumber Company and oversees log procurement. She is a former chair of the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturer’s Association. Sparks is also a member of the Georgia Forestry Association and the Forest Landowners Association. She sits on the regional advisory board for BB&T Bank and the board of directors for the Elsie Gillam Home. Sparks is a graduate of Haywood Community College and Truett McConnell University. She and her husband, Jerry, have one child. They reside in Ellijay.

Larry Spillers, Georgia Forestry Commission (reappointment)Spillers is the Georgia operations manager of Jordan Forest Products. He sits on the board of directors for the Georgia Forestry Association. Spillers is a former chairman of the Georgia Sustainable Forestry Initiative implementation committee. He and his wife, Pam, have two children and six grandchildren. They live in Crawford County.

Helen Odom Rice, State Board of Education, 3rd Congressional District (reappointment)Rice is a teacher with more than two decades of experience in Georgia elementary and high schools, both public and private. She is a member of the Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee and sits on the foundation board for the Georgia Department of Public Health. Rice is a former member of the Troup County Council on Child Abuse, the Arts Learning Task Force and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement’s Digital Learning Council. She previously sat on the board of directors for the LaGrange Art Museum. Rice earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Education from Valdosta State University. She and her husband, Bill, have one child and three grandchildren. They reside in LaGrange.

Kenneth Bernard Mason, State Board of Education, 5th Congressional District (reappointment)Mason is the director of urban initiatives for the Southern Regional Education Board. He is the founder of Mason Education and a founding board member of KIPP Strive Academy. Mason was previously the community liaison and robotic engineering consultant for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a corps member advisor for Teach for America. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Hendrix College and a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco. Mason and his wife, Tamara, have two children and live in Atlanta.

Barbara Hampton, State Board of Education, 6th Congressional District (reappointment)Hampton is the senior vice president and chief financial officer of Georgia Transmission Corporation. She is a former chair of the State Board of Education and Leadership Georgia. Hampton is an emeritus member of the Terry College of Business Alumni Board. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia. Hampton and her husband, Randy, have two children and reside in Roswell.

Mike Royal, State Board of Education, 7th Congressional District (reappointment)Royal is the founder and president of Partners Risk Services, LLC. He is the immediate past chairman of the State Board of Education. Royal sits on the Georgia Southern University College of Education Board of Advisors. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance with an emphasis in Risk Management and Insurance from Georgia Southern University. Royal and his wife, Lori, have three children. They live in Grayson.

Scott Johnson, State Board of Education, 11th Congressional District (reappointment)Johnson is the senior vice president of Financial Supermarkets, Inc. He sits on the Board of Human Services and is a member of the Stone Mountain Memorial Association. Johnson is also a board member and former chairman of Republican Leadership for Georgia and a former chairman of the Cobb County Republican Party. He is a graduate of Leadership Cobb and the Coverdell Leadership Institute. Johnson attended Shelby State College. He and his wife, Janet, have three children and seven grandchildren. They reside in Marietta.

Liz Hausmann, State Workforce Development BoardHausmann serves as the District 1 representative on the Fulton County Commission. She is also the vice president of government affairs for the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. Hausmann is a vice chair of the Atlanta-Fulton Water Resources Commission, a member of the House Commission on Transit Governance and Funding and a member of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. She sits on WellStar North Fulton Regional Health Board, the board of directors for the Fulton Education Foundation and the board of trustees for the Fulton County Employees Retirement System. Hausmann is also a vice chair of the Federal Government Policy Committee for ACCG and a member of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Community Resources Committee. She is also a Regional Leadership Institute graduate. Hausmann has two children and two grandchildren. She lives in Johns Creek.

Eric Newberg, State Workforce Development Board (reappointment)Newberg is the chief financial officer of Diaz Foods. He sits on the board of directors for MAC Casualty Ltd. Newberg earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Trinity College and a master’s degree in Finance from the University of Florida. He and his wife, Tenise, have two children and live in Sandy Springs.

Lana Thomas-Folds, State Workforce Development BoardThomas-Folds is the chief human resources officer for Hughston Clinic, Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital and Hughston Clinic Orthopaedics. She is a member of the national chapter and Columbus chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management. Thomas-Folds also sits on the Columbus State University Alumni Board. She is a SHRM Certified Professional and is a certified Professional in Human Resources. Thomas-Folds earned a bachelor's degree in Art from Columbus State University. She and her husband, Wayne, have one child and live in Columbus

Get the Daily Albany CEO Briefing

The Albany CEO Briefing is a daily email newsletter that contains the day’s top business news headlines and a summary of each day’s feature. Subscribe Today.

About Albany CEO

Albany CEO is a daily publication that focuses exclusively on business issues in Albany. We invite you to learn more about how to expose your business to others in the community. Contact us today to receive more information about editorial, video and promotional exposure at Albany CEO.